Naruto the Gladiator
by nNamikaze11252
Summary: AU. What if the masked man attacked 5 years later during the birth of Naruto's younger sister (Nora)? The change in timing sets off a series of unfortunate events. Enslaved and fighting for his life, will Naruto survive and what does his future behold? Kenjutsu and Fuinjutsu Naruto. Smarter Naruto NarutoxFemSasuke. (Full Summary Inside)
1. Chapter 1

AU. What if the masked man attacked 5 years later during the birth of Naruto's younger sister (Nora)? The change in timing sets off a series of unfortunate events. Naruto is forced to live in an orphanage but that isn't the end of it. Now, only being able to count on himself, Naruto has to fight and fend for himself. Unfortunately, the wrong people take notice and soon Naruto is jettisoned off to rural Tea Country to fight for sport in the Gladiator Ring. Enslaved and fighting for his life, will Naruto survive and what does his future behold? Kenjutsu and Fuinjutsu Naruto. Smarter Naruto. NarutoxFemSasuke.

I don't own Naruto.

NtG Chapter 1

The coarse sand flowed between his toes with each step he took. The ground was the last thought flowing through the young man's head though. The dark tunnel made it hard to see the features of the young man. The darkness hid his dark red hair and face but failed to cover up his piercing blue eyes. The stone-cold eyes of a killer permeated the pitch-black atmosphere.

The atmosphere did not stay dark for long though as the creaking of aged metal signaled the opening of the large door at the end. The rays of light assaulted the darkness and revealed the rugged sharp facial features of the young man. His sharp jawline and nose were noticed secondary to the several scars that littered his face. The largest and most distinguished starting at the top right of his forehead and moving downwards through his right eye and finishing at the top of his right cheek. Standing up, he left his cell and walked towards the light.

With his short trek to the end of the tunnel finished the young man walked into what any bystander would call, a battle ground. Weapons were littered across the small 20 by 20 field. Surrounding the small pit was a 10-foot concrete wall, cracked and indented in multiple places. It wore the scars of previous battles. Upon the tops of the wall stood the cheap stands. The splintering wood looked extremely uncomfortable to sit on but guests still sat to watch the fights. They wouldn't be sitting for long though. It seemed tradition for most spectators to stand during fights, especially his fights.

As he walked towards the center of the pit the stands went into an uproar. Cheers mixed with jeers. He couldn't tell if they hated or loved him. He didn't care though. He just wanted to finish this fight and go back to his cell.

He didn't even look at the crowd. Those disgusting animals relished when he decapitated another slave. They even made signs. One sign read "The Reincarnation of the Fox" or "The Wild Konohan" or "The Tree Savage". The only information available to the public was his height, weight and place of birth. Once it was revealed that he was born in Konoha he almost overnight became known to everyone as The Konohan. He even doubted he would respond to his birth name Naruto. Naruto had been called The Konohan for so many years that it has basically replaced his actual name.

With his feet planted in the middle of the ring Naruto removed his partially torn cloak and threw it off to the side of the ring. The light reflected of the cheap metal armor on Naruto's body. The armor resembled the kind that ANBU would wear, a large chest plate with one thin metal shoulder pad cover his left shoulder. Along with the chest plate Naruto had a pair of metal wrist guards and shin guards adjourning his respective limbs. Underneath his armor was a cheap shirt and shorts that looked like they were dug out of the dumpster behind the building.

If Naruto cared about his appearance then he didn't show it. His face was the perfect symbol of cold indifference. His long red hair cascaded around his face, accentuating his features. His long hair ended just past his shoulders. It led the eye straight to his perfectly sculpted body. There was barely any fat on him. It was his physical stature that helped him survive for so many years. His stamina saved his life more times than he could recount.

The creaking of metal gabbed Naruto's attention and drew his eyes towards the opposite end of the pit. The door opened to reveal another young man, his height was identical to Naruto's but that is where the similarities ended. His armor barely fit around his obese body. The metal plates had to be several sizes too small. The large man walked to the center of the ring until he was about 5 feet away from Naruto. His labored breathing showed he must have just been captured or purchased.

It was easy for Naruto to tell the veteran slaves from the newbies. A majority of newbies were out of shape imbeciles who were thrust into the arena to either die or with the shred of hope that they would survive long enough for the owner to make a quick ryo.

Taking a deep breath, Naruto reached out to his right and selected one of the plethora of weapons littering the sand. Grasping the handle of a short chokuto, Naruto took several practice swings with the foreign weapon. He preferred longer swords similar to katanas but the short sword would make due. Judging by the stature of his opponent Naruto guessed he could get under his guard and end the fight fairly fast.

Naruto paused his train of thought for several seconds though. He knew from previous battles to never attack based upon assumptions. He almost lost his head once for that very reason. Shaking his head to clear his thoughts, Naruto peered over to his opponent to see him walk over and grab a long katana.

The man was smarter than he looked. Naruto could already tell that he wanted to keep him at a distance. Naruto did his best to observe the rest of his opponents' movements. They looked sluggish and unathletic. His movements looked forced; they weren't smooth at all.

A large horn sounded; the horn brought a pavlonian response out of Naruto's body. All of his muscles flexed and his eyes squinted ever so slightly, showing his focus. The large horn represented the beginning of the match and the beginning of his fight for survival.

After the horn sounded the larger man back peddled straight towards the edge of the pit. He put himself several feet from the wall. In total he created about 10 feet of space between himself and Naruto. He evidently was thinking that Naruto would go for a surprise attack or a quick strike maneuver.

Taking a deep breath, Naruto relaxed his body. With his body and mind relaxed, Naruto started walking in the direction of the obese man. Slowly, Naruto started to speed up into a light jog. Naruto pulled his arms back and prepared to engage the larger man. Using his momentum from his run up Naruto put his weight behind a hard-diagonal slash. Responding to Naruto's attack the man swung his katana to meet Naruto's sword.

With a massive clang the two swords hit each other. The response from the man was what Naruto expected, slow. Pulling back a little, Naruto observed the man as he tried to go on the offensive. Wildly, the man swung his sword. Back and forth, across the front of his body.

Naruto calmly waited out his opponent. He may think he was creating space but he was just tiring himself out. After his next slash Naruto made his move. Going with the swing of the katana, Naruto hit the katana to provide even more force to the swing. The applied force caught the man off guard. Immediately the man lost his balance.

Eliminating the immediate threat Naruto pulled his sword back quickly and with surgical precision he cut the man's hands free from his arms. Flying to the side of the ring went his hands, still firmly attached to his katana.

The large man fell to his knees, the ends of his arms were reduced to bloody stumps. Staring in disbelief the man looked at where his hands used to be not even a minute ago. While the man was busy looking at his new stumps, Naruto switched the sword into a reverse grip and viciously swung the sword through the man's neck. Smoothly decapitating the new slave. Death was better than this shithole anyway.

Dropping the bloodied steel weapon, Naruto calmly walked back towards the tunnel from which he came. He didn't bother staying to listen to the animals in the crowd howl at his achievement. Naruto was long passed the days where he would bask in the cheers from the onlookers. After killing so many enslaved innocents he became numb to it.

-Inside the Cells-

Sitting down inside his rusted cell Naruto took in a deep breath and then exhaled. The stale air left a strange taste in his mouth as it always did. The very little light that illuminated his cell came from a small window fixed on the back wall of his room. The small sun rays that made it through the window barely allowed Naruto to see the rusted hell hole he lived in the past few years. It wasn't always like this though. Before he was adopted into this mess, he had a bed, he had three meals a day, he had all the friends and toys he could ever want.

When he heard he was adopted by someone, Naruto was over the moon. His happiness knew no bounds. The traveler that adopted him though failed to mention what he was being adopted for. At the mere age of 6, Naruto was brought into this life. The traveler was really a slave gladiator owner from Tea Country. He ran a successful underground child fighting ring. From the very minute Naruto stepped foot in his new home he had to fight for his survival. Eventually, his owner decided that he was strong enough to compete in the local underground adult league.

That's where he was today. Naruto guessed that he and made his owner a substantial amount of money going by all the new slaves that were coming and going. He has been the only consistent person here the past few years. A majority of people only lasted a few fights. Some died in their first.

Naruto thanked his natural ability for his survival. He never understood why but a sword always felt comfortable in his hand. Like he knew how to wield one without ever learning the basics. It just came natural to him. That to go along with his highly developed reflexes have led him to survive throughout the adult league. Especially when he would fight opponents two or three times his age.

Hearing footsteps broke Naruto out of his thoughts and brought his attention to the rusted door in the front of his cell. The metal bars had been weathered and needed to be renovated. That wasn't the only part that needed renovation though. The concrete walls looked like spider webs with numerous cracks going through them. Naruto wouldn't be surprised if the roof collapsed on him one day.

A small man stopped in front of the cell. He couldn't have been more than 4 feet tall. The sun light bathing the room showed little of his features. His messy light brown hair and beard could barely be seen but his bright purple cloak glistened in the light.

"Another fabulous fight young Konohan! I would consider you for mercenary work if I wasn't so afraid of you running away," the giddy voice of the smaller man just infuriated Naruto. He never called him by his real name. Just Konohan.

Naruto despised the man so much he stopped responding to his words a year ago. He just stared at the man in contempt. The sooner he left, the better.

"After your last fight I was notified through a messenger bird that another party is interested in purchasing you. Of course, I made the asking price as high as the sky. I can't just sell my prized jewel for so little," the midget continued to drone on from his last statement.

Naruto didn't bite at the information. Many buyers had come through over the years. The midget always made the price on his head astronomically high. He never wanted to get rid of Naruto. Naruto was positive that these little chats were to just to get him to continue performing at a high level.

"This buyer is different from the rest though. He is sending a representative to watch your next fight and has agreed to meet my price should you be everything as advertised. If I were you, I would consider being clinical and performing to the best of your ability in the next fight as your opponent was hand-picked by the interested party," the midget ended his statement on a serious note.

But before he walked away, he said, "By the way, your next fight is tomorrow. The buyer is very impatient. I agreed to let the fight go on short notice because of the agreed price. It's not every day a rich man comes along offering me hundreds of thousands of ryo." The midget wandered off after he finished his sentence.

Naruto retreated back into his mind after he left. This opportunity caused so many different scenarios to play out in his head. Number 1, someone could be buying him to work as a mercenary. It would mean more freedom and definitely more rights than he has right now. Number 2, he is moving up to another gladiator league. Naruto had heard rumblings of another, higher level league after the one he was currently in. Then there was always a mysterious number 3. An unknown option to even himself. Naruto initially thought of the practical reasons as to why he would be bought. The buyer could always have wild idea in mind that Naruto would never even consider.

Taking a deep breath Naruto brought up his hands to massage the sides of his temple. Going down the rabbit hole wouldn't be a good idea right now. He just had to relax and stay focused on surviving his next fight. His opponent will likely have battle experience and be of a higher quality than the usual competition he sees across from himself. The hardest opponent Naruto ever came across was a rogue newly appointed chunin. His opponent wouldn't stop talking about his status. Even so Naruto dealt with him. The man was almost as fast as Naruto but he was nowhere near the quality of him.

Moving himself off the ground and onto his cot, Naruto laid down on the uncomfortable surface. "Sleeping on a rock would be more comfortable," Naruto surmised. Despite talking out loud to himself, nobody was around to hear it. After living in these cells for so many years and fending for himself Naruto had developed a keen sense of his surroundings.

That same keen sense was now alerting him to a presence moving towards his cell. It was definitely not the midget. He would never move this slowly or quietly. Naruto didn't think it was another gladiator either. Most of the gladiators that were housed in here had died in the previous fights. The ones that did survive hobbled back into their cells licking their wounds.

Deciding on his next move, Naruto go out of his bed and crept towards the front of his cell. Naruto stopped when he reached the corner of his cell, where the rusted iron bars met the concrete wall. Pushing his back against the concrete wall, Naruto waited for the foreign presence to pass the front of his cell.

He didn't have to wait long as a silhouette against the darkness inched passed his cell. The person evidently didn't sense Naruto presence against the bars. This person piqued his interest though. Hastily making a decision Naruto reached out and tapped the back of the person's foot. Instantly, Naruto retracted his hand as a swooping noise was heard through the air. The unidentified person swung at Naruto with something, a kunai? Naruto couldn't tell for sure.

He didn't have long to consider what to say next as the foreign person was upon the bars of his cell within a second along with something sharp pressing against his right oblique. Before Naruto could speak out against the mysterious person, they started speaking to him.

"Who are you and what is your business here?" the voiced demanded of him. The voice was harsh but distinctly feminine.

Naruto raised his eyebrow at he demands before retorting, "Shouldn't I be asking you that question?"

Naruto heard a soft growl after he finished his question. Apparently, the woman he was dealing with doesn't like sarcasm.

"The reason I'm here is none of your concern. If you want to get your dumbass out of here you will answer all of my questions, not later, not tomorrow, now," Naruto didn't feel threatened by her tone. It was one of the lesser fearful things he had heard.

Despite that Naruto decided to play along with her, maybe she could get him out of this pit? It was a long shot but he doubted that it would hurt him to answer a few of her questions.

"Okay, what are your questions?" Naruto answered short, sweet, and to the point. If this woman could get him out of here then he would need to get on her good side.

"What is your name and where are you from?" Quick and concise. That is how she was going to ask her questions. She knew that she couldn't afford to fool around. She was in a prohibited area and needed to get out with information as soon as possible.

Naruto answered in a similar format, "My name is Naruto, I'm from Konoha."

The minute Naruto uttered the sentence he saw the woman freeze. Hopefully Konoha didn't do something damaging to this woman. What if Konoha had killed her family or maybe she was a rogue ninja from Konoha? Naruto may have just signed his death sentence.

All of that thinking was put aside for the moment when she continued asking her questions. "How did you end up here?"

Taking a deep breath Naruto began to tell his story of how he ended up in this level of hell…...

"_Oh Naruto, there's a lovely gentleman here to see you," the soft angelic voice of the orphanage mother reverberated through the halls of the building. _

_The little pitter patter of small feet hitting the hard wood floor indicated that Naruto had heard the call and was on his way over. After a short 20 second wait, the boy in question stood in front of the orphanage mother. _

"_What did you call me for mother?" Naruto's youthful tone made the atmosphere in the room even brighter. _

_The orphanage mother simply smiled to his question. The mother herself was an older woman, she had a grandmotherly visage. Her graying hair and wrinkles only reaffirmed the visage. Her dark brown eyes glowed softly when she looked down upon Naruto. _

"_Naruto honey, this man here is interested in adopting you," her tone was extremely delicate and resonated with the young boy. _

_It wasn't even a second after Naruto heard the last word leave the orphanage mother's mouth that he exploded with joy. Naruto jumped as high as his little legs could take him with his arms fully extended. _

_As soon as he landed his eyes drifted over to the man who was going to be his new father. The man was dressed nicely is a light brown kimono. A yellow ribbon was wrapped around his waist to offset the kimono's color. He was slightly overweight; his double chin gave away his heavyset physique. The man was starting to bald as his black hair was starting to thin on the top of his head. His face was smooth like a weathered rock and he wore a small grin on his face. _

_Naruto didn't care what he looked like though. One of the few things Naruto craved was familial love. He had witnessed so many other kids be adopted and he craved nothing more than to be one of those children. _

_For the first time the man spoke, "My name is Wasabi, I'm a traveling merchant and I wanted a companion. Would you like to join me on my travels?" _

_Naruto's mouth expanded three times into the largest smile he had ever made. Without hesitation Naruto leaped towards the merchant and embraced him. Tears of pure innocent joy rained down from Naruto's eyes. The merchant didn't seem to mind the tears staining his kimono._

_When Naruto finally let go of the merchant, the merchant began to speak to him again. "Now Naruto, I heard you're very adventurous and that is exactly the type of person I'm looking for. There is one slight problem I would like to address though."_

_Naruto's grin faltered a bit. He now feared what words would follow the merchant's past statement. _

"_The orphanage mother has told me that you tend to get into fights with the other kids, is that true?"_

_Naruto looked away towards the door. This is what he feared. That the minute the merchant found out he got into fights with the other kids, he would immediately adopt someone else. Quickly thinking of a way to justify the situation Naruto blurted out, "It's not my fault! The other kids are the ones that start the fights. I just end them."_

_Wasabi brought a hand up to his face and started stroking his chin. "If I adopt you Naruto you must promise me something. Promise me that you will never fight me." It was said in a firm voice that left no room for argument. _

_Naruto responded right after Wasabi finished his sentence, "Yes! I promise to never fight you!"_

_His response put a smile on Wasabi's face. It was exactly what he wanted to hear. "Perfect, now go collect your belongings and we can leave the orphanage together. How does that sound?" Wasabi's cheerful tone matched his happy expression. _

"_Amazing! I get to go home today!" Naruto screamed as he left the room to go gather his few belongings. _

_Turning towards the orphanage mother, Wasabi removed a brown sack of coins from his robes. "The Man is spending more than he usually does on a fighting prospect. For your own safety, I pray that he lasts more than a year in the ring. At least long enough so he can make his money back."_

_Without blinking an eye that orphanage mother responded smoothly, "He will. I have raised enough orphans in this building to know who will survive and who won't. That boy is a survivor."_

"_Very well then, I guess this is good bye for now." Wasabi handed the maiden the coin filled bag. They then ceremoniously bowed in unison. Before leaving the room to fetch his new companion's fighter the merchant left some parting words for the orphanage mother, "Remember to write us again if there are any more promising young fighters."_

"…and that is how I ended up here." The entire story took close to five minutes to tell.


	2. Chapter 2

I don't own Naruto.

NtG Chapter 2

The intruder was quiet throughout the entire story. She only nodded her head along to Naruto's words. The moon had risen high in the sky giving both the woman and Naruto an idea of how long they had been speaking to each other.

The moonlight illuminated his jail cell and let him see the woman's features. In his opinion she is beautiful. Her dark hair reminded him of the sky during a new moon. It framed her face nicely. Her soft facial features only enticed Naruto even more. One thing that stood out though were her blood red eyes. They glowed, they took in the moonlight and reflected it tenfold. Her eyes also had two black tomoes. The tomoes were a stark contrast against her red sclera.

As Naruto could see Akame, Akame could also now see Naruto. His red hair reminded her of the tomatoes she loved to eat back at her compound. She was drawn to his hardened face. It was firmer and held less fat than many of the faces she had seen back in Konoha. The one feature that stood out more than anything else though were his eyes. The bright blue sclera lit up the dark room like a night light.

Akame and Naruto both held down blushes after observing the other. It only took a couple of seconds though before they were playing twenty questions again.

"Have you been fighting in the gladiator battles since you arrived here?" Her tone had changed a bit. Akame's voice didn't sound as threatening before but it still carried the same level of seriousness.

"Yes." Naruto kept the answer as short as possible. Battling in the sand pit wasn't something he enjoyed talking about. He would rather talk about the weather or any other mundane topic.

"If your slaver were to be captured and brought before an executioner would you be willing to testify as proof of his crimes?" If Akame could just get him to say yes then her reconnaissance mission would be a success. She could report back the Kakashi and they could plan an assault on the compound.

"If I say yes, what would become of me?" Naruto loved the idea of his slaver getting decapitated. The only problem is where would he go? The only life he has ever know has been in these jail cells. He knew nothing else besides fighting and surviving.

Akame froze at the question. She figured that he would jump at the chance to kill the man that caused all of his misery. Taking a deep breath, Akame started talking again, "I'm positive that my village will take you in and house you. They will also find a way to incorporate you into the village. Create as normal as a transition as possible." In truth, she had no idea what would become of him after the short trial and execution took place. She had a feeling though that since he was born in Konoha they would have some record of him and he would be accepted back into the village.

Naruto felt like he had no other choice. Taking a chance in a foreign village was a lot better than rotting away and fighting incompetent fools till the end of time. "Fair enough, you know where to find me."

With that last sentence Naruto stood up from his seated position against the wall and laid down on his cot. He had a lot to think about tonight.

As Naruto got up, Akame continued to move through the cells. "I need to be more careful; I can't be caught by anyone else," she thought to herself.

-Back at Camp-

Pushing through the dense trees, Akame finally landed in a small clearing. To any ordinary person it looked like a normal clearing with overgrown grass and shrubbery. Akame wasn't an ordinary person though.

Activating her sharingan, the clearing was soon filled with several sleeping mats, a low burning fire, and three other individuals. The first of the three individuals was a girl in similar age to Akame. She had short pink hair held back by a red band. Her pink hair perfectly matched the color of her tank top and skirt. Her black leggings underneath the skirt offset the bright color. She was Sakura, the support and team medic.

The second individual was Sai, the long-range fighter. His coal black hair was offset by his pasty white skin tone. It looked as though he hadn't seen the sun light in years. He wore a black cut off shirt along with black pants. Like Sakura, it was as if he wanted his outfit to match his hair color.

The final individual and captain leading the team was her jonin-sensei, Kakashi. His gravity defying grey hair was his trademark look recognized by everyone, including foreign ninja. It was hard to make out most of his face as the entire bottom half was covered in a black half face mask. Besides the face mask, he wore the standard jonin attire of a green flak jacket with a matching black undershirt and pants.

All three of her teammates looked over to her as she took a seat by the campfire. "I was unable to find the slave owner while I infiltrated the building but I did find a gladiator who we could use as proof for the trial."

"That's disappointing." The monotone voice of Sai broke in during her report.

Sakura narrowed her eyes before she gave her two cents, "Oh shut up Sai. Kakashi planned on attacking when we had a confirmed visual of the target anyway."

Sai didn't even bat an eye at her response. "I wasn't being negative flat-chest. I was just expressing my discontent with the outcome of the mission."

The minute Sai uttered "flat-chest" Akame and Kakashi both dove at Sakura. Even with all of their strength it was hard to hold down the hot headed pinkette. "Let me at him! I'm going to shove my foot so far up his ass my toes will be coming out of his mouth!"

The threat fell on empty ears though as Sai just awkwardly smiled before grabbing his tanto. Now seemed like as good of a time as any to start polishing the short sword.

After a minute Sakura finally calmed down and let Akame finish giving her report. "The gladiator that I met mentioned that he was originally from Konoha. Does this also turn our mission into a rescue operation as well?"

Kakashi's eyes hardened when he heard one of the slaves was from Konoha. Now he needed to know more. "Possibly. How did the gladiator say he ended up becoming a slave?"

Akame recited the story that Naruto told her not even an hour ago. Giving her captain every single detail, she had on the potential Konohan. When she finished her story and looked up, she saw something foreign to her. She saw emotion on Kakashi's face. His eyes were wide with shock but as soon as she saw it, it disappeared.

"Did you get the slaves name?" Kakashi asked with the upmost sincerity.

Akame suspiciously looked at her sensei before saying, "Yes, his name is Naruto."

"Excuse me for a second." Kakashi quickly dismissed himself before sprinting up into the trees. Akame could feel his presence slowly disappearing into the distance.

-With Kakashi-

When he deemed himself far enough away, he bit his thumb before flashing through hand signs. After forming the last sign, he slammed his hand on the ground. A puff of smoke greeted his hand upon hitting the ground followed by the appearance of a small pug. The small pug looked up Kakashi waiting for orders.

"Pakkun, this is urgent. I need you to report straight to the Hokage and tell him that we may have located Naruto." Kakashi's voice left no room for an argument. With a small salute, Pakkun disappeared in a puff of smoke. The Hokage should get his message within an hour or so. He would no doubt send an emergency ANBU squad to help recover his sensei's legacy.

All of the missions of hunting down slavers and owners has finally paid off. It all started nine years ago when they found out that the matriarch at the orphanage had "given Naruto up for adoption." Naruto was supposed to be a special case. The orphanage was supposed to be temporary housing until he graduated from the academy. Until he was able to take care of himself, he was to live at the orphanage. He was never supposed to be adopted. When an ANBU squad did a routine check of the orphanage and found he was missing it was pandemonium. It only took a little investigative work to find out that she was selling children into slavery.

The following week was filled with secret missions and multiple messages to hunter ninjas in the suspected area. Every mission was the same result though, negative. There was no trace of Naruto anywhere. The lack of a real trail was quite disturbing.

Fast forward back to the present. There had been yearly C-ranked missions given to genin squads to scout/search rural areas for illegally enslaved people. To any Jonin or higher ranked personnel there was a secret S-rank mission. Locate Naruto and if possible, extract him. Kakashi would wait to hear back from the Hokage if he should follow through with the S-rank mission. For now, he will return to his genin and prepare the information like they had completed the mission.

Jumping through the canopies, Kakashi landed with nary a sound at the edge of their campsite. He stood up at his full height before he began his walk over to the nearest log. Looking over the camp he could see that Sakura and Sai had passed out, indicating that Akame had taken first watch duties for the night.

Relieved he didn't have to sort out the nightly watch duties, Kakashi himself made his way over to his sleeping mat. The silence of the night was broken by Akame shortly after, "Sensei, do you know the identity of the gladiator I met today?"

Kakashi stopped walking when Akame asked her question before asking a question of his own, "That's a silly question, what makes you think I know the identity of a random slave in Tea Country?" His aloof expression further sold his statement.

Akame just leveled a questioning glare at Kakashi before turning the other direction. She obviously wasn't happy with the answer. Kakashi didn't care for her feelings at the moment though. His mind was focused on the coming day and the Hokage's answer.

And that's how Kakashi spent the rest of his night. Lightly resting while dreaming up every different scenario that could result from the operation.

-The Next Morning-

Kakashi awoke to the distinct poof sound made by a summon appearing. Sitting up from his position on his sleeping mat, Kakashi spotted his trusted dog summon.

Quickly, Kakashi rubbed his eyes and became alert of his surroundings, Kakashi noted that Sai was posted up in a tree, overlooking the campsite while Akame and Sakura slept on their mats adjacent to him.

Looking back towards his summon, Kakashi saw a small scroll attached to Pakkun's collar. Retrieving the scroll, Kakashi nodded towards his summon in thanks. Shortly after the nod Pakkun dispersed back to the summoning realm. Unfurling the scroll, Kakashi read the Hokage's message,

_Kakashi,_

_ ANBU Squad Delta has been dispatched to handle the retrieval of the package. They should arrive close to your position in a days' time. Your mission has been upgraded to "B" status and the parameters have changed. Team 7 is now responsible for observing and keeping the package safe until Delta Squad arrives for pick up. _

_ Regards, Hiruzen Sarutobi _

Once the contents of the message had been memorized by Kakashi he used a small Katon jutsu to burn the scroll into nothing. He started to think of different plans to go about their new mission. His thoughts were interrupted though by the team's resident nickname giver, "Kakashi-san, does the Konohan slave effect our mission?"

If Sai felt one way or another about Naruto, he didn't show it. This would be the perfect way to play off the real purpose of the mission.

"Yes, the mission parameters have changed due this new development. When your teammates wake up, I will tell everyone the new mission." Kakashi figured this was the best way to disguise the Naruto retrieval mission.

Sai didn't have to wait long as both Akame and Sakura woke up within fifteen minutes of his conversation with Kakashi. He didn't care about waiting though. Patience was a weapon that he had in spades.

Akame stood up and started to stretch out. The sleeping mat may have helped the back a little bit but they were still sleeping on the hard ground. While Akame was stretching Sakura walked over to where Sai and Kakashi were sitting.

"Morning Kakashi-sensei…. Sai," Kakashi could feel the distaste in her voice when she muttered the boy's name. Sai's nicknames definitely didn't help him connect with his teammates. "What is the plan for today?"

After Sakura said her question Kakashi saw Akame perk up just a little bit. She may have not been sitting with them but she was listening. "Our mission has changed. I updated the Hokage with our findings and he wants us to observe the slave from Konoha and ensure his safety. He could be useful in tracking down more missing orphans if his story is accurate. Both Hokage and I believe that he probably isn't the only instance of an orphan from Konoha being sold into slavery."

Kakashi finished his statement and looked around, silently asking if there were any questions about their new mission. He didn't have to wait long for Akame to speak up, "Why just observe and protect? We can just break in, grab him, and leave." Akame obviously wanted to do more for Naruto. Kakashi didn't understand why though, he never met Akame nor did they have any previous contact.

"The Hokage has assigned another squad to extract the slave. We are to watch from the shadows until they arrive to relieve us of our duty." Kakashi's serious tone left no room for an argument to be made. "Are there any other questions?"

Silence resounded through the campsite and that was the answer Kakashi wanted to hear. "Perfect, lets pack up camp and prepare to stake out the complex." Just like that Kakashi returned to his jovial nonchalant attitude. Almost as if they weren't on a serious mission with massive implications.

With food in their stomachs, radios perched on their ears, and backpacks full, Team 7 set out towards the gladiator ring. To maximize their time observing Naruto, Kakashi had his team running at close to full speed through the tree canopies.

Tree hopping at full speed enabled Kakashi and his team to arrive at the facility within thirty minutes. They arrived to something unexpected though. Degenerates were walking into the stadium like a fight was happening. The mission dossier had noted that fights never happen on back to back days.

Kakashi didn't outright panic but he was sweating. Though his sweating did stop when he realized that this unexpected fight could make their job easier. "Kakashi-sensei, how are we supposed to observe the slave if there is a fight going on? There are too many people that could see us."

Sakura's question was valid by Kakashi already had a solution. "The answer is simple, we all brought casual clothes to blend in if we ever went into a town. We are going to watch the slave, from the crowd. Today, you're all going to watch your first gladiator fight."

Sai said nothing is response to Kakashi's plan. As predicted, Akame just grunted in confirmation. Sakura though, she wasn't happy to say the least. "What?! Who said I wanted to go watch to people fight to the death?!" Sakura screeched at Kakashi.

Kakashi did his best to look unaffected by her voice. Sai and Akame just questioned whether or not they would end up getting tinnitus from their teammates voice.

"This isn't up for discussion. Missions require you to get dirty. After our first mission in Wave Country I thought you would know that by now." Kakashi spoke in a very firm tone. Sakura visibly flinched at his words. Her sensei wasn't messing around.

Reluctantly, Sakura grabbed her small bag and jumped away into the trees. Kakashi then turned to his other two students. "Follow her lead and change to blend in. We are going to look and act the part. No more questions, understand?"

Akame nodded but Sai retorted with a statement of his own, "You're contradicting yourself sensei. You say no more questions and then you asked us a question. Your instructions are unclear."

Kakashi just stared at the boy with a dumbfounded expression on his face. Why did he have to be stuck with a literal robot for a student? Danzo's ninja that became too emotional or sentimentally attached were assimilated into the regular forces as of this past year. Kakashi had a hard time believing Sai was emotionally attached to anyone. The pebble at his feet showed more emotion than him.

"Just go change and be ready to move out in five." Kakashi exhaled deeply and was reminded why he hated dealing with younger ninjas. Especially genins.

Kakashi just hoped that the mission would go by without any issues. They could sit back, observe Naruto, switch out with the retrieval team, and be on their way. Partly for his sake and for everyone back in Konoha. Nora needed her older brother. Her life as a jinchuriki hadn't been the greatest. She had made some friends but they were few and far in between. The Hokage and Jiraiya could only do so much for the girl. Having her older brother around would do wonders for her.

While Kakashi was perusing his thoughts, he had changed into a simple beige shirt and dark brown cargo parts. His weapons were hidden under the long sleeves and the small scrolls full of his gear were stashed away in his cargo pockets. A simple black headband to cover his sharingan eye.

Akame was the first to return to Kakashi wearing a dark blue casual kimono. Not the quality of a noble but similar to the look of a passing merchant. Sakura emerged wearing something very similar to Akame. But the color of her kimono was a lighter shade of blue, similar to the sky on a clear day. For whatever reason, Sai was the last person to return. His outfit matched Kakashi's, color and all.

Kakashi had everyone check their weapons, made sure they were all concealed before they started their trek towards the arena. The arena itself was a short walk from where they had changed. The only inconvenience they had was their trying patience. They were ninja, they were used to moving fast. Moving at a civilian's pace had become foreign to them.

The five excruciatingly long minutes passed as Team 7 found themselves in front of the gladiator ring. The building was nothing special, it looked like it was falling apart. One ground jutsu and it would collapse. The structure was made of cracking concrete and rusted iron rods. It was only two stories tall, obviously it was not meant to accommodate the masses.

Walking through the open rusted gate, Team 7 was immediately met with a concrete staircase. They trudged up the crack riddled steps into what was the stands. The old rotted wooden benches meant to hold the populace looked like they were more likely to give the visitor a splinter. The wooden benches were lined up in five rows and circled the sand pit. Hoping not to raise suspicion the jonin and genin trio slid into the back row closest to the staircase. They needed a fast exit in case things got out of hand.

-With Naruto-

Naruto swung his sword several times. Loosening up his left shoulder. He had already lightly stretched and done some calisthenics to warm up. This fight was unique to say the least. There would be no weapons scattered throughout the field like usual. Whatever Naruto had on himself was it.

This only made the fight more questionable. He was given a lot of different stipulations to go by. Like how the fight would be in rounds. Five rounds to be specific. The accustomed fight to the death with no time limit was something he became accustomed too. He was also used to ending the fight within three minutes. He had a feeling this fight would be trying on his stamina.

-With His Opponent-

"Do you understand what I'm asking of you?" The questioning tone sounded joyous, even maniacal.

"Yes Orochimaru-sama, you want me to test the boy. Each round using a different skill to assess whether or not he can help with our cause," the man replayed almost stoically with no hesitation.

"Good, you never disappoint me Kimimaro," Orochimaru chuckled before walking towards the opposite end of the tunnel, "Oh and Kimimaro, if he is struggling by the fifth round and can't hold his own, do me a favor. Kill him."

"Yes Orochimaru-sama," Kimimaro finished with a bow before loosely cracking his joints. Readying his bloodline for what was to come. From the notes he had been given on Naruto, he knew that he was a close-range fighter, talented but unproven. His taijutsu was a brawler style, unhinged and wild. His swordsmanship was random and unpolished. He had no ninjutsu or genjutsu skills so, in retrospect, he was the ideal opponent.

Kimimaro didn't wallow in his thoughts for long as the rusted gate to the sand pit opened with a loud creaking noise. The sunlight permeated the tunnel's darkness, causing him to squint. It took him several seconds but his eyes finally adjusted to the light.

Walking out into the pit, Kimimaro finally got to see his opponent for real. He looked younger than he did in the pictures their scouts obtained, then again, he is only 14. His long red hair flowed with the wind. The sharp look in his eyes showed that this wasn't his first battle. He had been here before.

-With Team 7-

"Is that him?" Sakura whispered towards Akame.

"Yes, that is the slave from Konoha." Akame confirmed Sakura's question without looking away from the sand pit.

"You know, he's kind of cute," Sakura muttered. She then looked up to see Kakashi, Sai, and Akame all sharing a dead pan expression. "What?! I'm just making an observation? Our new mission was to observe him, I'm making an observation!" Sakura said desperately trying to defend her statement.

The rest of Team 7 just sweat dropped at her statement. They didn't need to be focusing on looks at the moment. They just needed to focus on the fight at hand.

Sai decided to add his own observation, "Are we sure he is from Konoha? I have never seen someone with red hair in Konoha before."

Kakashi answered the question without hesitation, "Too make a long story short, Konoha had a relationship/alliance with the Land of the Whirlpools. The people, the Uzumaki, from the whirlpools all had red hair, similar to his. Several people immigrated to Konoha from the whirlpools. If what he says is true, then he would be the child of one of those immigrants."

Kakashi did his best to answer the question shortly without giving away too many details, details that would make him look very suspicious. The questions ended there as the battle started.


	3. Chapter 3

I don't own Naruto.

NtG Chapter 3

-In the pit-

The large horn reverberated through the miniature stadium. The sound lit Naruto like a firework as he shot off towards Kimimaro. The man brought in no weapons, recognizing this, Naruto took his sword and went for a diagonal slash. The only problem is that his sword was blocked, by a bone.

Jumping back in astonishment, Naruto couldn't believe what he was seeing. Protruding from his opponent's palm was a bone? Naruto only knew it was a bone was from the decayed skeletons that decorated the landscapes of some of previous gladiator rings he fought in. The bone wasn't normal either. It didn't even give way to his sword.

Kimimaro recognized Naruto's shocked expression and sought to take advantage of his lapse of focus. Charging at Naruto, Kimimaro replicated Naruto's diagonal slash. Naruto recovered in time though to parry the slash to the side. Trying to create an opening Naruto continued to parry Kimimaro's onslaught of strikes to the side.

Kimimaro was relentless. He struck at Naruto continuously, forcing him to start stepping back. Naruto took a quick peak behind himself to see that he was getting fairly close to the wall of the pit. With his quick glance though he noticed several indentations in the wall. Creating a haphazard plan, Naruto started to let Kimimaro push him harder.

The slashes barely wore on Kimimaro's arms and shoulders. Orochimaru's relentless training regimen had built him for long, exhausting battles. The regimen didn't teach him to pick up on little nuances of a battle though. So, when Naruto began falling back even faster, Kimimaro was none the wiser.

-In the stands-

"Kakashi-sensei will we have to jump in? It looks like he is about to be cornered and killed? I didn't come here to watch our new target die!" Sakura silently shrieked towards her sensei.

Her only response from her sensei was a large exhale. Kakashi didn't have to answer as Akame beat him to it. "That idiot is letting himself be pushed into a corner. I don't know what his plan is but I already know it's stupid and dangerous."

-In the corner of the pit-

Naruto was now exactly where he wanted to be. His plan could possibly get him killed, well actually, it probably will kill him. But when has that stopped him before?

Waiting for the next slash, Naruto gave Kimimaro an opening to disarm him. Dangling his sword farther out from his body than he should, Kimimaro swatted the sword up into the sky, clean out of Naruto's grasp.

"And my master thought you had talent, what a joke…" Kimimaro muttered to himself as he lunged forward to stab Naruto.

Naruto disregarded the statement and jumped backwards, avoiding the bone jab. As he jumped backwards, he lodged the heel of his left foot inside one of the many indentations in the wall. Before Kimimaro could jab once again Naruto propelled himself into the air above his opponent.

Kimimaro took a step back. His opponent was crazy and currently flying through the air above his head. It didn't take long for Kimimaro to put two and two together though. Naruto wanted to be disarmed and he wanted to be backed into that corner. He fought with no regard for his life what so ever.

-With Team 7-

"And the idiot is flying through the air…." Akame just muttered to herself, questioning how sane the redhead is.

Kakashi just looked on and chuckled to himself, "He is definitely her son."

Sai was currently thinking about all the possible outcomes of Naruto's current maneuver.

Sakura however, she just stared at Naruto slack jawed. No words could describe her current thoughts.

-With Orochimaru-

The man's slit eyes widened a bit as he watched Naruto perform his stunt. It was unexpected and resourceful. It showed that his brain had not rotted away over the years of not receiving any guidance. He was a natural. Then again with his lineage it was practical that he would be good at fighting and the shinobi arts.

"Show me some more Naruto-kun," Orochimaru whispered to himself, "Your body by itself is worth the money but I want to see how useful you can be."

-In the sand pit-

At the climax of his jump Naruto was able to reach his sword, grabbing the handle firmly, Naruto looked down upon his opponent.

As he descended, Naruto used gravity to add some force to his downward slash. Aiming directly at Kimimaro's head, Naruto swung at hard as he could. The swing was followed by a loud clang. His cheap metal sword that he had used for the majority of his fights had snapped in half like a twig.

Naruto once again was caught off guard by this new development and subsequently, received a hard kick to the chest as punishment. The kick sent Naruto spiraling back into the middle of the sand pit. Standing up Naruto was right back where he started the fight.

Looking down, Naruto saw that his sword was no longer than a pocket knife. There were no other weapons for him to grab, so the damaged piece of metal would have to make due.

Turning the blade into a reverse grip, Naruto got into a relaxed brawler stance. He would wait for Kimimaro to come at him again. He would need to get in close to do any damage. Thinking about this just made him roll his eyes. He had to get inside the guard of a better swordsmen with a broken knife… Naruto knew he wouldn't leave the battle unscathed.

Naruto wouldn't have to wait for Kimimaro to charge as the horn sounded, signifying the end of the first round. He would have a one-minute break, as per the guidelines of the opponent's master. He needed to make the most of that minute.

As soon as the horn sounded Kimimaro wadded over to the barred off exit of the sand pit to see his master camouflaged amongst the darkness inside the tunnel from which he walked out of, "What is your opinion of him Kimimaro?"

Kimimaro was surprised at the question. His master rarely asked for his opinion on these matters. Usually he just fought the opponent, it was his master that did most of the scouting. "I believe him to be a very capable fighter Orochimaru-sama. He uses everything he can to his advantage. He recognizes his strengths and weaknesses and plays to them."

After Kimimaro gave his assessment, he waited for his master's response. He was nervous. What if he was wrong? There was nothing he hated more than failing his master.

"Quite astute Kimimaro-kun. I share your thoughts as well. Now tell me, how dangerous do you think he would be in six months after training under you?" Kimimaro couldn't see his master's face but he could easily picture his splitting his face with a sinister smile after that sentence.

"He is already around chunin level Orochimaru-sama. If I had the opportunity to teach him then he would be at least high chunin by the end of that time frame. That is also taking into consideration that he is a fast learner and it able to use other ninja arts such as ninjutsu and genjutsu." Kimimaro finished his statement with the utmost serious tone.

He had traveled to multiple gladiator rings for the past month and a half now. Orochimaru-sama must be planning a very important operation if he would need to take a student. Not to mention all the forces, nuke ninjas and mercenaries, they had been amassing in the past year or so.

"Excellent, this round I want you to forgo kenjustu and fight him only using ninjutsu. I would like to see how clever the gladiator really is. I want to know if his trick with the wall was just a fluke." Orochimaru ended his sentence was a blood curling chuckle. If anyone else had heard the laugh then they would had been covered in goosebumps.

"Understood Orochimaru-sama." Kimimaro ended with a small bow before he walked back towards the middle of the sand pit.

-With Team 7-

"You know Akame, you and the gladiator down there would make a good pair." Sakura commented off-handedly.

"Excuse me!?" Akame almost screamed at Sakura. "What could possibly make you think we would be a good pair?" The venom Akame spoke with all but gave away her opinion on the matter.

"I don't know. It's just a feeling. You would also look really cute together!" Sakura's giddy tone just infuriated Akame even more.

"I have one goal right now and that is to kill a certain someone. I have no time for romance with complete strangers and a slave no less!" Akame glaring at Sakura. It made Kakashi question how this team stayed alive and together for so long.

"I think Flat Chest has a point. The slave hasn't shown a lot of emotion. Maybe you finally found someone who can brood and be an emo with you?" Sai's emotionless tone didn't give away if he was being serious and the forced smile didn't help either.

Kakashi was thinking of ways he could keep the situation from getting out of hand. Thankfully, he didn't have to continue thinking as Akame stood up from the statement and started walking towards the stairs. "I'm going to scout out the rest of the arena." Kakashi didn't even question her as she walked down the stairs. She was going to blow off some steam and that was probably better than letting her kill Sakura and Sai.

-In the sand pit-

Naruto crouched down into a protective stance. He had thought for the entire minute on how to best approach his opponent and he couldn't think of any plan that didn't include him getting impaled. With no good options, Naruto decided to go on the defensive and to try and dissect his opponents' style. When Naruto was younger, he used this strategy to beat stronger opponents. Recently he hasn't had to worry about that but Naruto knew this man was different from the other slaves he had faced before.

He didn't have to wait long in his crouch as Kimimaro settled into a relax stance across from him. Kimimaro moved his hands into the dog sign before he said, "Good luck, you will need it to survive this round…."

Naruto was instantly put on edge. He saw Kimimaro's hands dance together through different signs before he shouted, "Shikotsumyaku: Tenshi Sendan (Bone Technique: Ten Finger Drilling Bullets)!"

Putting his hands parallel to his body, Naruto watched ten bone bullets shoot out in his direction. Diving to his left, Naruto barely dodged the propelled finger bones.

"This one will be a little bit more difficult to dodge," Kimimaro taunted and once again his hands danced through multiple signs followed by the shout of, "Shikotsumyaku: Hiiragi no Mai (Bone Technique: Dance of the Holly)!"

Holding out his right arm Naruto witnessed one of the craziest things he had ever seen. A plethora of bones wrapped themselves around Kimimaro's arm, forming a fierce looking javelin. Once the javelin was done forming the man jumped at Naruto.

With his broken sword as his only defense Naruto jumped to the side while doing his best to parry the calcified javelin. This onslaught continued for the next thirty seconds and Kimimaro repeatedly jabbed only to be parried.

Kimimaro noticed that fatigue was starting to set in for his opponent. It would make him a sitting duck for his next jutsu. Stepping back to create some space, he flashed through hands signs for his first original jutsu, "Shikotsumyaku: Hone Bakudan (Bone Technique: Bone Bomb)!"

Folding his hands together, Kimimaro formed a bone ball the size of his hand. Naruto only needed to take one look at his large grin to know that he didn't want to get hit by that jutsu. Without a second thought, Naruto darted towards the opposite end of the stadium.

-With Team 7-

Kakashi sat up ever so slightly in his seat. The next jutsu looked ten times more dangerous than the previous ones.

"Sensei will we have to interject?" Sai asked the question calmly like a deadly jutsu was not about to be thrown at their charge.

"There is a distinct possibility that we will. Sakura, Sai prepare yourself." Kakashi spoke in a no-nonsense tone.

Sakura spoke up in a worried tone right after Kakashi finished, "What about Akame? Shouldn't we go warn her?"

"We won't have to alarm her. I can see where she is located and she knows to act when we do." Kakashi finished his sentence without taking his eyes off the fight.

-With Akame-

The dark-haired girl had worked her way down to the cells beneath the stands. Standing at the iron bar door to the sand pit, she had an even better view of the fight. Activating her sharingan, Akame tracked every single movement, dissecting each move. She made a game out of it. Trying to predict what the next best move would be.

She witnessed Naruto's ability to evade his opponents jutsus. For a slave, he moved well. His instincts were sharp and his ability to think on his feet was better than most of the people she had sparred with back in Konoha. She wondered if he would be a good sparring partner.

That thought immediately fled her mind though when she saw the formation of the next jutsu. The large calcified ball was flooded with chakra, very sharp constructs of chakra to be exact. Her gut was telling her to evade it and she wasn't even in the fight.

-With Naruto-

Naruto was sweating profusely. Right as he turned from his position on the far side of the pit, he saw Kimimaro throw the sphere of bone in his direction.

Naruto didn't believe in Kami(God) but he desperately cursed inside his head, "Kami(God) help me!"

The bone bomb detonated like a grenade. Sharp shards of bone exploded from the object, shooting in every direction, including Naruto's. Holding his arms up to seldom protect himself, calcified shards embedded themselves in Naruto's skin.

Naruto screamed in agony. It felt like he had just been stabbed all over while getting riddled with paper cuts. Naruto looked himself up and down to access the damage. His forearm had multiple perforations while larger shards the size of ryo were sticking out of his legs and torso.

Naruto didn't have time to recover though as Kimimaro flipped through more hand signs. "Shikotsumyaku: Teshi Sendan (Bone Technique: Ten Finger Drilling Bullet)!" Raising his hands in a similar manner, Kimimaro once again fired off bone bullets from the tips of his fingers.

Last time Naruto barely dodged the bullets. Now, decorated with bone shrapnel, Naruto dove to the side but not without several of the bullets grazing him, one bullet embedding itself in his right ankle.

"AGH!" Naruto grunted in distress. Rolling over, Naruto attempted to put some weight on his ankle. His senses were met with an immense stinging pain. The pain almost made him forget about his opponent across from him. It had been years since Naruto had received a beating even close to this.

As Kimimaro lifted his hands to go through another jutsu Naruto's ears were met with the sound of his savior. The bell sounded, ending the round and the string of hand signs Kimimaro was flying through.

With a sigh of relief Naruto sat down. He had dropped his sword now knife during his evasion of the bone bomb and peered around the sand pit to find it. After a few seconds of searching he found it resting next to the iron door he used to enter the pit. Using his one good leg to stand, Naruto hobbled over to the broken sword.

Once Naruto reached his sword, he dropped to the ground. He would need to conserve his energy if he wanted to survive. Naruto had faced people that could use ninjutsu but never to this extent. There were the few people that could shoot a fireball or summon an earth wall, but they were never this proficient.

"Hey idiot." Naruto heard a voice behind him. It sounded familiar but he couldn't quite place it. "Listen to me, I can help you survive."

Naruto didn't turn around to see who the voice belonged too. In truth, he considered letting himself die. Maybe it was his time? He had taken so many lives that it only seemed right for him to lose his life in similar circumstances.

"Are you listening to me?!" Akame seethed at him. She didn't need a failed mission on her resume. If she was going to reach her goal then she needed to start moving up the ladder as soon as possible.

Turning his head Naruto spoke in a soft voice, "No." He didn't care about being able to escape anymore. In truth, what would he do when he escaped this hell hole? This was all he knew. He lived this life for as long as he could remember. He didn't know how the outside world worked, but he knew what worked in the pit. Experiencing the unknown outside world scared him more than death.

"Tch," Akame just grunted at him, "You're going to listen to me and you're going to listen now. You're going to lure that bone user over here using whatever mean necessary and you're going to let me help you."

"Ok Kaa-chan," Naruto's nonchalant response only further enraged her.

Reaching through the bars, Akame grabbed the neck of Naruto's shirt and pulled him up against the iron bars. With their faces only separated by the bars, Akame was close enough to see the dead and defeated look in his eyes. Despite the look, Akame continued, "You're not capable of doing anything to harm him, but I can harm him. He must be susceptible to ninjutsu. He can take any physical attack but not an elemental one. Are you following?"

Naruto drawled out another sarcastic remark, "Yes Kaa-chan."

"When your back is up against the bars, I want you to slap your hands together and yell, 'Katon: Gokakyu no Jutsu' (Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique)." Akame stared at Naruto. She hoped her look intimidated him enough to follow through with the plan.

"You know, maybe in another life we could have been great friends. But I think this is where I'm supposed to die," the sorrow in Naruto's voice was palpable. "You're a good person, don't lose sight of that."

With that last sentence, Naruto stood up and hobbled back to the center of the pit. He could hear Akame's screaming intensify with each step he took. Maybe he should listen to her? She is the first person to really care about his well-being. The last person to even show him anything close to friendship was Yoshi. And the old man perished a couple months after his arrival.

-With Team 7-

"What do you think she is planning sensei?" Sai asked with a hint of intrigue in his voice. The emotion surprised both Kakashi and Sakura.

"She is going to help him win this fight," Kakashi stated passionately. "The opponent has been handicapping himself to one ninja art each round. First round was kenjutsu, second round was ninjutsu, so third round will most likely be taijutsu. Only using taijutsu will give Akame an opening to use whatever attacked she deems necessary to help him win."

"Hmm," Sakura tapped her chin in thought, "I wonder why Akame is more willing to help out a slave than me?" The question went unanswered as all eyes turned back to the pit.

-The Center of the Pit-

Kimimaro dropped into his taijutsu stance the minute Naruto arrived in his starting position. Naruto, slowly dropped into his brawler stance, holding his broken sword like a kunai knife in his left hand.

Neither had to wait long as the horn sounded, starting the third round and final round. Kimimaro acted fast, charging at Naruto. In response to the charge, Naruto swung his knife outward. The swings stopped Kimimaro's advanced but it wouldn't last for long.

Recognizing the small obstacle, Kimimaro created a small sword for himself from one of his forearm bones. With the new weapon in tow, Kimimaro once again charged at Naruto. His charge resulted in a display of sparks. Naruto's broken sword clashed against Kimimaro's bone.

It looked like an even exchange at first, but up in the stands Kakashi noticed something else.

-With Kakashi-

"He's targeting the end of the blade," he thought to himself. "After a few more exchanges the small blade will shatter like the other half."

-In the Sand Pit-

It only took thirty seconds for Kakashi's prediction to come true. It sounded like shattering glass to a lot of the onlookers but it sounded like defeat to Naruto.

Naruto stumbled backwards after his only weapon broke and then with a quick snap kick, Kimimaro sent Naruto flailing backwards towards the door. Naruto ended up hitting the door with a solid 'thud'. Naruto groaned in pain. It felt like he was just assaulted by mountain sized toad.

Between the kick just now and all the bones lodged in his body, Naruto struggled to stand up. His body had been pushed to the limit for the first time in a long time.

"Idiot!" Akame softly screamed towards Naruto, "Slap your hands together and do what I said!"

Naruto in his delirious state hadn't even noticed Kimimaro walk up in front of him. Standing not even two feet away from Naruto, Kimimaro lowered himself into a new stance. With his left arm pulled back and his right arm stretched out forward, it looked like this would be the final strike.

-With Orochimaru-

The man had a slight frown on his face. He honestly expected more from Minato and Kushina's kid. They were both exceptional ninja, there was no reason he wouldn't have inherit their ability. Maybe his growth was stunted? Fighting for your life every single day may have not shaped Naruto mentally and physically like he initially thought.

"What a waste of talent but he's still another weapon I can add to my arsenal." With that thought Orochimaru left his tunnel for the slaver's office. He was going to make sure his lower bid was accepted now and then he was going to leave with his newest minion.

-With Akame, Kimimaro, and Naruto-

Sitting in the shadows behind the bars, Akame whispered harshly at Naruto, "Do it now idiot!"

Her wish came true when Naruto followed through with her plan. She saw him slowly and shakily raise his hands before slapping them together. Akame took that as the signal and gladly flashed through all of the hand signs to her favorite jutsu. Holding her hand up to her mouth she waited for Naruto to shout out the jutsu.

Naruto saw the confused look on Kimimaro's face. He knew Naruto was up to something be he failed to figure out until it was too late. Shouting with all of his might, Naruto screamed, "Katon: Gokakyu no Jutsu! (Fire Release: Great Fireball technique)"

Once the last syllable left Naruto's mouth, Akame released one the largest fireballs she had ever produced from her mouth. The massive fireball was ten feet in diameter. The blazing inferno gave Kimimaro no room to evade.

Kimimaro screamed almost as loudly as Naruto. Kimimaro could feel his body get broiled alive by the intense flames. The only reprieve he got was when the jutsu ended. With the fire gone the cool air surrounded his blackened body. The change in temperature froze him to his spot. To go from blazing fire to cool wind within a second sent a wave of electricity through his nervous system.

-With Team 7-

Kakashi gazed upon his student with a prideful look in his eye. He hadn't taught Akame much but he was able to break her cold persona. That fireball was evidence of it.

"Eek!" Sakura softly screeched, "I don't know what worse, his body or the smell of his burnt flesh?!"

Sai ignored Sakura comment and focused on the execution of the strategy. Sai just thought to himself, "Akame's strategy was ingenious. Kimimaro was focused on fighting a singular opponent creating a massive opening for Akame. As expected of a prodigy."

-With Naruto and Akame-

Naruto just gapped at the remains of his opponent. His burnt carcass stood standing in front of him. Naruto may have brutally murdered many people in his time as a gladiator but this was his first time witnessing a man be burned alive.

Deeply exhaling, Naruto struggled to stand up. His opponent's bones were still deeply ingrained in his body. Before he could catch himself, his right ankle gave out. But Naruto didn't hit the sand. Looking over his shoulder he could see two slender arms poking through the holes in the iron door.

Chuckling to himself Naruto muttered behind him, "You didn't have to do that."

Through clenched teeth Naruto heard Akame say, "Yes I did idiot. I can't let you die. I don't want a failed mission on my resume." Akame's hold on Naruto strengthened as she pulled him against the door. She used the door to hold most of his weight, she may be strong but it was not easy supporting Naruto's weight.

"So, could you let me die after your mission?" Naruto asked rhetorically.

"Tch, are you always this difficult? Don't make me regret helping you." Akame complained to him. Why did he have to be like this? This is why she doesn't help people; this is why she pushes them away.

Their bickering continued but was abruptly interrupted by a loud explosion in the opposite end of the arena. The stands exploded sending wood chunks everywhere and setting the adjacent seats ablaze.

Soon a ring of explosions followed, blowing up most of the stands surrounding the pit. The explosions not only destroyed the stands but lead to the collapse of most of the arena. Diving to the side, Naruto ignored the shooting pain in his legs to avoid fiery debris.

Walking through the collapsed fiery stands opposite of Naruto was a massive man, no monster. His skin was a dark grey and had large pillars sticking out of his forearms. The large pillars weren't the only abnormality though. His eyes were discolored, like he was from a horror film. The whites of his eyes were pitch black while his sclera glowed an eerie gold.

"Juugo smash!" the large man howled to his surroundings.

Like a raging bull his eyes set on the closest figure to him, Naruto.


	4. Chapter 4

I don't own Naruto.

NtG Chapter 4

-With Kakashi-

Everything was going to shit. He thought they were in the clear when Kimimaro was killed but no, this hybrid monster destroyed even the semblance of hope that the rest of this mission would go smoothly.

Turning to Sakura and Sai he ordered, "Sai, I want you to summon a bird, we need air support immediately." Before Kakashi could start giving Sakura her orders, Sai darted up into the air. Pulling a scroll out of his back pocket, he scribbled on the scroll before saying, "Ninpo: Choju Giga! (Ninja Art: Super Beast Imitating Drawing!)"

With a flash of chakra, Sai's drawing of a bird literally flew of his paper. The majestic ink bird flew underneath Sai and carried him above the battlefield.

"Sakura, I need you to secure the package. Akame and I will handle the raging gray man on the other side." Kakashi said in a stern voice before jumping down in between Juugo and his charges.

Sakura did her best to steel herself. She needed to secure the slave. This was her time to prove that she could be helpful to the rest of the team. Dashing over the rubble from the miniature colosseum, Sakura ran straight for Naruto.

She did her best to outright ignore the large grey form preparing to charge in her direction. She just kept telling herself to stay focused on her given objective and trust that her teammates will do their given job.

Racing through the sand littered with hot ashes, Sakura arrived at Naruto's side. Now standing next to his form Sakura noticed how critical his condition really was. Besides borderline exhaustion, Naruto's breathing was very shallow. His half-lidded eyes and lack of awareness only added to her suspicion.

Delicately. Sakura draped Naruto's left arm over her shoulders. Using every fiber in her leg muscles, Sakura was barely able to support Naruto's weight. Sakura started taking baby steps that steadily turned larger as she somewhat got used to the heavy weight.

She was focusing so hard on Naruto she didn't even notice Akame open the iron door, creating an escape route for Sakura and Naruto. Akame didn't keep the door open long though. As soon as Sakura crossed into the tunnel with the exhausted form of Naruto, Akame shut the door, creating another obstacle for Juugo.

-With Kakashi-

Kakashi observed Sakura get to Naruto's side before his eyes peered over to Juugo. The man looked mentally ill. Almost animalistic. Every time he took his team on a C-rank mission, the unexpected happened. They always ran into a nuke ninja or mercenary. First Zabuza and now Juugo. He should have just failed this team. Then he wouldn't have had to deal with any of this.

He pushed those thoughts in the back of his mind as he saw Juugo prepare to charge at Sakura, Naruto and Akame. Predicting his approach Kakashi squatted and prepared to cut off Juugo. His prediction was spot on as Juugo launched himself straight at Naruto and Sakura.

Mimicking Juugo, Kakashi launched himself in line with Juugo. Sticking out his leg like his eternal rival, Kakashi delivered a brutal kick to the side of Juugo's head. The force of the kick sent Juugo sailing towards the side of the stadium where he ultimately landed in a pile of burnt ash.

Kakashi noticed movement out of the corner of his eye and saw Akame had just joined him. This gave him confidence that Sakura had escaped with Naruto. His confidence faltered though when his ears were assaulted by a cruel laugh. His eyes focused on the pile of ash Juugo landed in. Standing on top of the ash with slight scorch marks across his body stood Juugo laughing maniacally.

Akame cringed as she heard the laugh escape his lips. She now knew that this wasn't an ordinary opponent. He had at least several screws loose. Akame had thought that maybe his technique disfigured him. She didn't care if she looked like that if she gained immense power like he had. Power was power. The winner was always more powerful than the loser.

Akame shook her head, shaking off her thoughts at the same time. Thinking during a battle would only lead to her death. The last thing she needed was to die. The maniacal laughter ended and immediately Akame was on her toes. Ready to move any direction and react to any attack. Juugo mirrored her stance except the second he stood onto his toes, he shot off at Kakashi and Akame.

Akame removed a kunai from her hidden holster and blinked her eyes. Flashing on her sharingan, Akame prepared to react to any move. Kakashi responded differently. With his headband already moved up to reveal his sharingan eye, Kakashi move his hands together symmetrically. Flowing through the hand signs to his favorite defensive jutsu, "Doton: Doryuheki (Earth Release: Earth-Style Wall)!"

With a shout a large mud wall rose from the ground in between the charging Juugo and where Kakashi stood with Akame. The mud wall barely slowed down Juugo though, as the large man barged through the wall sending shards of rock everywhere. The wall only agitated Juugo. With a scream, Juugo raised both of his fists before slamming them into the ground below. Creating a miniature earthquake within the sand pit.

"How do you like my earth jutsu?!" the crazed yell was followed by an even crazier laugh. The man was truly insane.

Trying to take advantage of him while he was laughing Akame whipped out ninja wire and ran at Juugo. With surgical precision, Akame threw several kunai knives with wires affixed to the finger hole.

Juugo regained focus to watch several kunai fly be himself. It led him to chuckle and taunt Akame, "Maybe you should learn how to aim before you play ninja girlie!"

Akame didn't let his taunts get to her as she saw the kunai embed themselves in the wall nearly ten feet behind Juugo. All together she had thrown four kunai. Two with each hand surrounding Juugo with two wires on his right and left.

Kakashi picked up on what Akame was going for and silently made a hand sign before disappearing underground. He was going to make sure that Akame's jutsu hit its mark.

With her wires in place Akame made multiple hand signs for the jutsu she had just taught herself. This jutsu is going to be an ace up her sleeve at the upcoming Chunin Exams. What better time to test out the jutsu than in the heat of battle?

Molding the proper amount of chakra, she held the wires up to her lips before shouting, "Katon: Ryuka nu Jutsu (Fire Release: Dragon Fire Technique)!" The kerosene-soaked wires illuminated with blazing fire. Instantaneously, the fire traveled down the metal threads.

Juugo's crazed eyes widened to comical proportions. Flexing his legs, he prepared to jump up and out of the fire cyclone approaching him. Until he felt something latch onto his ankles. Frantically, Juugo looked down to see two hands reaching out of the ground and wrapped around his ankles.

Kakashi, now underground beneath Juugo, felt Juugo struggle to get out of his iron like grip. He smiled knowing that his quick thinking had helped his student complete her technique. Doton: Shinju Zanshu no Jutsu (Earth Release: Double Suicide Decapitation Technique) was another one of Kakashi's favorites. Though this time instead of pulling his foe underground, he used it in a different way. This way was going to hurt a lot more.

Kakashi's ears were assaulted by the Juugo's screams of agony. He couldn't see Juugo but Kakashi knew the man must have been in unbearable pain. The metal plate guards on his gloves absorbed the flames heat, almost burning his hands. If his hands stung from the flames, he couldn't imagine what it must be like at the center.

After ten seconds the screaming came to a dramatic halt. Unearthing himself, Kakashi climbed above the scorched earth to find the blackened body of Juugo. Cautiously, Kakashi slid a kunai into his right hand. Approaching the downed mad man, Kakashi placed the kunai against his throat with one hand while using the other to check for a pulse.

The second the kunai made contact with his skin Juugo punched up at Kakashi's right hand. He received a cut across his neck for his trouble but it wasn't deep enough to end his life. Swerving his body around, Juugo aimed to roundhouse kick the squatted form of Kakashi.

Lunging backwards, Kakashi dodged the kick with ease before retreating back next to Akame. That combination would have killed a normal man, Kakashi knew that for sure. He needed to end this battle fast.

-With Naruto and Sakura-

Naruto limped on down the tunnel accompanied by Sakura. Passing by the empty rusted cells, neither noticed a shadow move out of one of the cells. The shadowed figure copied them step for step down the walkway. Only when they reached the end of the cells and go to open the door did the presence make itself known.

"I believe you have something that belongs to me…" the voice hissed at Sakura.

Caught off guard, Sakura opened the door and threw Naruto on the other side before closing it. Quickly she spun around with a kunai in her hand ready to defend their collective target. She wasn't ready for her gaze to be met with piercing yellow eyes, slit with an iris black as the deepest abyss. Sakura unintentionally froze. It didn't matter though as she felt an intense pain come from the back of her neck before succumbing to unconsciousness.

Grasping the knob, the unidentified figure opened the door to see Naruto limping his way down the next hall. Looking beyond Naruto, the man could see the exit to the small arena. Naruto would be leaving through that exit, with him.

"I would stop if I were you Naruto-kun. I don't think you want to worsen your injuries." The voice sarcastically chided Naruto.

Naruto stopped as if he listened to the voice. Turning around Naruto observed the dark figure. He couldn't make out any details of the persona but he could clearly see the persons crazed look. Their yellow slit eyes struck fear into Naruto. This man wasn't normal.

"If this man could defeat a ninja then I need to take him out, I can't escape him as I am right now," Naruto thought to himself.

Before Sakura pushed him through the door, she slid a kunai knife in his pocket. That quick thinking definitely helped him in this case. Reaching into his pocket, Naruto grasped the cold metallic handle of the blade.

Limping back the way he came, Naruto prepared to strike the dark figure. Carefully, he slid the knife out of his pocket and hid it behind his hurt left leg. To the onlooker, it appeared as though Naruto was just using his hand and arm to help his injured leg move.

"You know Naruto-kun there is one thing that I do admire about you," the voice cackled at him.

Interested in the possible answer Naruto asked, "And what would that be?"

By now Naruto was within five feet of the figure, ready to strike during the person's answer. "I admire your drive to never give up a fight, especially one that you clearly can't win."

The figure moved so fast that it was impossible for Naruto to react in his condition. A fist was buried in Naruto's stomach. The air left his lungs, leaving Naruto gasping for air. Bending over, Naruto struggled to regain his lost breath. Eyeing Naruto's prone position, the figure raised the opposite hand he used to punch Naruto in the stomach and slammed Naruto in the back of the head.

Peering down at Naruto's unconscious body, the figure cackled delightfully. Speaking to himself, the dark figure remarked, "You may address me as Orochimaru-sama, your new master."

-With Akame and Kakashi-

Blood flew through the air, followed by the decapitated head of Juugo. Kakashi stood near the body of the now dead man, the electricity around his right hand fizzled out. The body collapsed to the ground with a soft thud. The sand muffled most of the noise.

Turning his head, Kakashi saw the heavy breathing Akame on her last legs. Juugo had been relentless. He took all of their hits and kept coming. He pushed Akame to her limit and forced Kakashi to use his signature jutsu, Raiton: Raikiri (Lightning Release: Lightning Blade).

Kakashi pulled his headband back down to conserve what little chakra he had at the moment. Approaching Akame he asked her, "How are you on chakra?"

"I'm fine," she grunted back. After multiple missions Kakashi learned that translates to very low but manageable.

"Let's go catch up with Sakura then." Without another word, Kakashi lead Akame towards the metal barred door. Squatting down, Kakashi grasped the door and lifted it up just enough so they could fit underneath.

Akame crawled underneath the gate first before Kakashi followed. As Akame cleared the door she saw someone laying on the ground by the end of the hallway. Pushing herself, Akame dashed towards the end of the hallway. The person on the ground had bright pink hair. Akame picked up her pace immediately, she only knew one person with pink hair and that was Sakura.

Kakashi arose on the other side of the door to see Akame sprinting down the walkway. Taking a deep breath, Kakashi started sprinting to catch up to her. Exhaling he just thought to himself, "I'm getting to old for this."

Sakura awoke in a daze. She felt two hands shaking her back and forth vigorously. Groaning, Sakura did her best to try and collect herself. The last thing she remembered was feeling an immense pain at the base of her skull before everything went dark.

"-kura! Sakura! Sakura! Wake up! What happened?!" Akame all but yelled to her dazed teammate.

Sakura blinked her eyes furiously as she was sitting up. She rubbed her eyes as if it would help her wake up faster. "You know Akame, I was having the most amazing dream. Naruto and I were going to the beach on a date. He had just set down our chairs and started taking off- "

"Now is not the time to talk about your fantasies! What the hell happened to you?!" Akame seethed.

"Someone followed Naruto and I down the tunnel. I don't know who it was but they made themselves known right as Naruto and I got to the door. I threw Naruto on the other side of the door and turned to face the mysterious person myself. Whoever they were, they were strong. I looked up to see these horrible yellow slit eyes. It was like something out of a nightmare. Before I even realized it, they got behind me and they knocked me out." Sakura sucked in a huge breath after she finished telling her teammate what happened. Not a second late she gasped before struggling to get to her feet.

Akame grabbed her arm and helped her up. "We have to check on Naruto!" Sakura muttered as she reached for the door. Kakashi had arrived by now and was carefully watching the surroundings. This mysterious figure could be anywhere at the moment.

Turning the knob, the door creaked open. Sakura was about to move to the other side but was cut off as Akame bolted through the opening. Sakura almost lost her balance and fell over from the unexpected move. She was still a little woozy from just being awoken by Akame.

Akame darted down the new hallway. It looked like an exit tunnel. The light from the outside illuminated the pathway. The light showed that nothing was there. Searching up, down, and every direction with her eyes, Akame failed to find the presence of Naruto. "Naruto! Where are you?!" She called out for him. Hoping for a response, hoping that he was hidden somewhere, just hoping.

Kakashi walked up to Akame with Sakura on his back and surveyed the situation. Without hesitation he started issuing orders. "Akame, I want you to go outside and get into contact with Sai. Find out if he saw a mysterious figure leave the premises with Naruto. Meet us back at camp at nightfall." Akame nodded her head in response before running down and out of the hallway.

Peaking over his shoulder, Sakura asked, "What are we going to be doing sensei?"

Kakashi knelt down and let Sakura climb off his back before responding, "We are going to be searching this hallway for tracks and any clues that could lead us to this person's whereabouts." Kakashi stopped talking to bite his right thumb and flash through several hand signs, "Kuchiyose no Jutsu (Summoning Technique)!"

After the poof of smoke dissipated, a small pug was sitting on the ground looking up at Kakashi. "What can I do for you Kakashi?"

"I need you to track two people for me Pakkun. They both came through this exact area; can you pick up any scents?" Kakashi asked calmly.

Pakkun nodded in response. He dropped his head down and started sniffing around the hallway.

-With Akame-

Running through the opening of the arena, Akame flared her sharingan and searched for any sign of Sai. Peering around the sky she failed to see him anywhere. It looked like she would have to get his attention. Pulling out a kunai she attached an explosion seal onto the ring. With a flick of the wrist she sent the kunai into the air and when it reached its peak height, she made a single hand sign. An explosion rippled through the sky. "That better get his attention," thought Akame.

Her thoughts were proven correct when Sai appeared above where the explosion was just set off. She didn't have to wait long for Sai to land several feet from her. After he landed Akame started talking, "Naruto has been captured and presumably kidnapped by an unknown assailant. Did you see anybody suspicious leave the arena?"

Sai took a moment to think before he spoke to Akame, "I circled the arena and never noticed a suspicious person leave the arena. Everyone who exited the arena used the main walking path to the nearest town. If the unknown assailant did escape with everyone then he used the main path."

"Then let's go!" Akame nearly shouted before shooting off in the direction of the main road. Sai hopped back on his ink creation and took flight above Akame, maybe he would see something that he missed before?

-Nightfall, At Camp-

Akame sat on a tree stump with a frustrated look on her face. She doesn't show emotion often but this was one of those times. She couldn't find any trace of Naruto anywhere. It's like he disappeared from the area. Then again, if an assassin is good enough, they could make that happen. Hopefully, that won't be the case though.

Sai was off on the other side of the camp, drawing whatever he imagined on one of his scrolls. She didn't care. It wouldn't help her mission record nor would it benefit her at all to know. The rustling of leaves brought her to her feet. She slid a kunai into her dominant hand and yelled the agreed question that they came up with before the mission, "Who's there?"

A voice that distinctly sounded like Sakura yelled back, "Stupid!"

Already regretting letting Sakura and Sai come up with the code phrases, Akame responded with, "Stupid who?"

"Stupid you, that's who!" was screamed back before a bought of laughter filled the small clearing.

Looking in the direction of Sakura's voice, Akame saw Sakura and Kakashi walk through the underbrush and into the camp. Sakura was still giggling from her response while Kakashi wore a smug grin. Why did she have to be put on this team?

Ignoring her giggling teammate, Akame addressed Kakashi, "Did you find Naruto, a trail, or something we can use to find him?"

Kakashi didn't get to respond as Sakura had cut him off, "Oooh, does Akame have a crush on Naruto?" The cheeky tone she used just riled her up even more.

"No! I have no romantic interest in that idiot what so ever!" Akame seethed at Sakura. She was already mad from finding nothing. Add on top she had to say that stupid phrase and be teased about it. She was about ready to go ballistic.

Kakashi stepped in before Akame could give in to her anger. "To answer your question Akame, no, we didn't find any clue or anything that could point us towards Naruto's location." Kakashi then added onto his response, "We are going to turn our mission over to another squad that has more experience tracking then we do. They will arrive tonight so we can leave tomorrow morning."

Akame just nodded her head before she walked back to her sleeping mat. She wasn't hungry. She was too pissed off to eat. She saved his life only for him to probably be killed by someone else. Why did she have to be nice to him? She should have saved her patience for someone who was going to live. Those were her thoughts as she closed her eyes.

-With Naruto-

Naruto woke with a jolt. Absorbing his surroundings, Naruto noticed that he was currently in a forest. The forest looked a little similar, similar to the forest outside the arena. He had escaped captivity a few times when he was younger. He remembered he thought he could out run his captors.

_Rushing through the underbrush, Naruto dared not look back in the direction he came. He could hear the dogs barking and shouts from his master. He did his best to ignore though and continue to run as fast as his nine-year-old legs could take him. _

_When he was brought dinner the previous night, he hid his metal fork within his straw bed. The man who served the food and collected the leftovers was egregious at his job. He never cared to notice if something was missing. When he brought Naruto his dinner tonight, he stabbed the man in the eye before darting out of his cell. _

_To hell with fighting or the consequences. Naruto was done with it all. He didn't care where he ended up. Anywhere was better than the cells._

_The barking became louder before Naruto broke his one rule. He looked back to see a large dog chasing and closing in on him. Panic spread across his face and he tried to run even faster. As he tried to speed up, he got careless with his spacial awareness and tripped on a tree root. Falling flat on his face Naruto scrambled to get back to his feet._

_It wouldn't be though as the large dog bared its teeth and bit down on his left arm. Naruto screamed as the dog's teeth tore through his flesh. Blood gushed from the wound like an open fire hydrant. The dog didn't stay latched on long as it was soon pulled of his small body. _

_Looking up Naruto saw a dark smirk stretch across the face of the man holding the dog. Naruto had never seen this man in his entire life but he never wanted to see him again. The bloodthirsty grin sent shivers down his spine. _

_The man broke the silence by speaking, "You know, you are the first one to try and escape in a while. I almost forgot what it felt like to chase a loose slave. The thrill combined with the adrenaline rush is just amazing." The crazed euphoric look on the man's face just drove more fear into Naruto. _

Naruto remembered the lashings he received in his back. The whip wounds still stung to this day whenever he thought about it. They talked about how it sent a message to the other prisoners. That wasn't the last time he tried to escape but after being whipped so many times, he accepted his fate as a slave gladiator.

Naruto stopped reminiscing for a minute to try and figure out where he was. He was in one of the many small clearing in the surrounding forest. Naruto tried to sit up only to realize that he couldn't move his legs. Naruto looked down to his legs to see black markings going up and down his legs. Different symbols of a foreign language to him were strung across his body.

"It would be smart to not move Naruto-kun," a voice lightly chided Naruto. Naruto turned to the source of the voice to see a man with long black hair. His pale skin drastically offset his hair color. The same slit yellow eyes looked down upon him. Now that he was in the light though, Naruto noticed the man had weird purple marking around his eyes.

"Who are you?" Naruto blatantly asked the question. This man had abducted him straight from the arena. Naruto did not want to become another person's slave.

"You can call me Orochimaru-sama and you're going to be a part of my new village," the man eloquently spoke but added no further details.

"And why would I want to be a part of your village. The last thing I want to do is become someone else's slave," Naruto bit back harshly. This wasn't what he was hoping for when he woke up.

"You won't be a slave. You aren't a slave if you're fighting for something," Orochimaru spoke convincingly.

Naruto spit out an empty laugh. "And what would I be fighting for?" Naruto sarcastically said back to Orochimaru. He was a slave and before that an orphan. He had nothing.

"You would be fighting for your family," Orochimaru proceeded to remove a small file from the inside of his shirt. "This is a medical file one of my spies stole from Konoha. It contains all of your medical history for the brief few years you spent in Konoha. It also contains the medical history of your younger sister."

Orochimaru opened the file and dropped the contents in front of his face. On the left side of the file it read the name "Nora Uzumaki, formerly Namikaze." Naruto gazed at the sheet of paper before looking at every single little detail offered. He was always told he was alone. This couldn't be right.

"Your lying! You're just trying to use me!" Naruto yelled back angrily at Orochimaru. He refused to fall for his ploy.

"Did you read all of the information Naruto-kun? Or care to look at whose information is on the next page?" Orochimaru answered with a smirk.

Naruto obliged and looked at the rest of the information. Going down Nora's chart he saw a tab that read, "Known Relatives." Naruto's eyes widened briefly before he read all of the names listed, "Minato Namikaze (KIA), Kushina Uzumaki (KIA), Naruto Uzumaki (MIA)."

Naruto eyes nearly popped out of their sockets. This couldn't be real. None of this was real. It was just some underhanded tactic. "You're lying! None of this is real! I know that I have no family, that I have no records, that I'm alone!"

Naruto's screams were followed by tears. Rivers of tears flowed from the corners of his eyes down his face. "Naruto-kun, I implore you to look at the next page." Orochimaru spoke with little emotion in his voice.

Naruto eventually did as he was told. Fighting the tear induced blurry vision, Naruto read the contents of the folder to himself. It was all outdated information. Information from when he was five years old. One fact that caught his eye though was the "Known Relatives" section. It listed the identical names as Nora's file, "Minato Namikaze (KIA), Kushina Uzumaki (KIA), Nora Uzumaki." Finally, Naruto looked over the rest of the information. A lot of it was personal stuff that he doubted Orochimaru could have ever known. Like the stitches he received above his right eyebrow when he was four. How would this man know about a fight he got into with an older orphan? It seemed impossible. Maybe he was telling the truth?

"Ok, so if you're telling the truth, what happens to me?" Naruto asked. He was stuck between two minds. He didn't want to believe he had any family in the world but at the same time he felt overjoyed at the thought of having a little sister.

"You would come back to my village and represent my village in an arena style competition. You would also need to kill several people that I have diagnosed as a danger to me. When you have completed this mission, you're free to go be with your sister." Orochimaru spoke seriously without hesitation.

"And if I say no?" Naruto asked curiously.

"I kill you. You know too much information for me to let you go free." Orochimaru followed his comment by stretching open his mouth and pulling as sword from it.

Naruto considered letting this man kill him. It was so easy. The option was sitting right there in front of him. Then again, he could have family. The thought of him having a little sister feeling as lonely as him melted his ice-cold heart. His soul wouldn't be able to rest easy knowing he didn't do everything in his power to help his little sister.

Naruto conceded, "Ok, I'll help you. I will kill the people you want me to if it means I will get to see my so-called sister again."

"Excellent," chuckled Orochimaru before he took the butt of the sword and knocked out Naruto.


End file.
